Russian President Vladimir Putin met with former Israeli hostages Alexander (“Sasha”) Troufanov, and his mother, Yelena, at the Kremlin on Wednesday. Both are Russian nationals.
Also present at the meeting was Sasha’s fiancée, Sapir Cohen, 29, and Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar.
Troufanov was abducted along with his mother, grandmother and fiancée from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the terror group’s invasion of southern Israel.
His mother and grandmother were freed by Hamas on Nov. 29, 2023, at the request of Putin, while Cohen was released as part of a ceasefire deal that same month. Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was killed during the Oct. 7 massacre.
The family had immigrated to Israel some 25 years ago.
Troufanov had been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. He was released on Feb. 15 together with American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Argentine-Israeli Iair Horn, 46, who were captives of Hamas.
Putin asked Troufanov how many days he had been held captive. He replied that he had been a hostage for 498 days.
“The fact that you are now free is a result of Russia’s many years of stable relations with the Palestinian people, with the representatives of different organizations,” Putin told Troufanov, according to Russian news agencies.
Putin thanked Hamas for Troufanov’s release, stating: “Here we have to offer a word of gratitude to the leadership and to the political wing of Hamas for a gesture made to us in carrying out this humanitarian act.
“Thank God you are safe and sound, and here. Right now, I’m not going to give any political assessments on the current developments. But everything that has happened to you is a tragedy.”
Russia-Israel relations deteriorated following the Oct. 7 attack. Russia angered Israel when it invited Hamas representatives to visit Moscow on Oct. 26, shortly after the Oct. 7 attack. Israel called it “an act of support of terrorism.”
On Nov. 2, 2023, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, declared in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that “Israel has no right to defend itself.”
On Dec. 10, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a tense phone conversation with Putin.
During the call, Netanyahu expressed “dismay” about the recent anti-Israel positions taken by Russian representatives at the United Nations and other international fora, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Netanyahu said he emphasized that “any country that would suffer a criminal terrorist attack such as Israel experienced would act with no less force than the one with which Israel operates.”
The Israeli leader also strongly criticized the Kremlin’s “dangerous” cooperation with the Iranian regime.
